1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a load holder sheet device to prevent crumbling of piled boxes or sacks. More particularly, this invention relates to a load holder sheet device which can be easily handled and bound around boxes or sacks piled on a pallet or flatcar by a single worker to prevent crumbling of the boxes or sacks during transportation.
2. Prior Art
In order to improve work efficiency and reduce labor of transporting a large number of boxed or sacks within a limited compound, boxes or sacks are generally neatly piled as high as safely possible on a pallet or flatcar for transportation usually by forklift such that the boxes or sacks on the pallet or flatcar can be carried together in a lot, generally with due care not to crumble the piled load. However, boxes or sacks piled high on a pallet sometimes crumble during transportation. The contents of crumbled boxes or sacks are likely to be damaged. Crumbling boxes or sacks can injure workers and will adversely affect work efficiency.
To prevent such load crumbling, measures are conventionally taken. An elongated rectangular sheet having fastener means to fasten both vertical ends of the sheet may be bound around a load of boxes or sacks on a pallet to hold the boxes or sacks together. Such a sheet holder generally or at least conveniently requires two workers to wrap the sheet around piled boxes or sacks, one holding an end of the sheet and the other enclosing the piled sacks or boxes with the sheet.
While it is not impossible for a single worker to enclose sacks or boxes with such a sheet holder by first inserting an upper corner portion of the rectangular sheet under a sack or box such that the corner is held somehow in position by the weight of that sack or box while the worker turns around and encloses the sacks or boxes with the sheet, then comes back to that corner portion and fastens both ends of the sheet together with fastener means, the corner portion under that sack or box often comes off. The friction provided by such sheet corner insertion is often minimal and not large enough to hold that sheet portion.
Japanese Utility Model 3007683 discloses a holder belt to be bound around boxes or sacks piled on a pallet, whose ends are to be anchored to each other with hook-and-loop fasteners. The holder belt is "narrow" and use of a plurality of such belts is required to securely hold boxes or sacks piled high in layers on a pallet. Setting a plurality of such belts is time consuming.
A holder sheet may be provided at a corner with an elongated anchor device to be inserted under a box or bag to hold the corner of the sheet while the rest of the sheet is bound around piled boxes or sacks. However, such an anchor device can easily fall off when boxes or sacks are relatively light. On the other hand, when boxes or sacks are relatively heavy, insertion of such an anchor device by lifting a heavy box or sack may not be easily done, A stretch film of considerable length and width rolled out from a large film roll may be utilized to wrap boxes or sacks piled high on a pallet. Such a film can conventionally be wrapped around piled boxes or sacks with a wrapping machine. Such stretch films can not be reused and they are disposed after each use, which is a considerable waste of natural resources as well as hazardous to the environment. Disposed films are incinerated if not merely abandoned and produce harmful gaseous substances.
Accordingly, there exist a need and demand for a convenient and reusable load holder device which can be easily utilized by a single worker and during transportation can securely hold boxes or sacks piled high on a pallet or flatcar.